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Paper Talk: United talk to Chelsea target, as Blues eye Real ace

Kostas Manolas: Tipped for move to Premier League

Chelsea could lose out to Manchester United in the race for Roma defender Kostas Manolas, while the Blues could try to sign Sergio Ramos, according to Tuesday morning’s papers.

UNITED TO RIVAL CHELSEA FOR MANOLAS

Roma centre-back Kostas Manolas is being targeted by Manchester United – despite long-time interest from Chelsea.

The Greece international’s agent is reported to have held talks with senior figures at Old Trafford, according to Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio and as quoted by The Sun.

Incoming Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is a big fan of the Roma centre-back and he’s keen to sign him in the summer. Chelsea had previously held talks with the Serie A side to see if they could land him and the Blues still view him as a possible long-term replacement for defender John Terry.

But news that United are now ready to enter the race means the centre-half could likely find himself a man in demand this summer.

CHELSEA KEEN ON RAMOS RAID

Meanwhile, incoming Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has reportedly made Sergio Ramos one of his top defensive targets of the summer.

The Spain defender was tracked by Manchester United all last summer, with the player eventually opting to sign a new deal with Real Madrid, but the club could now listen to offers for their long-serving star as Zinedine Zidane looks to remodel their side for next season.

The flamboyant defender has played centrally and right-side throughout his career and could fit into the back-three system, which Conte reportedly plans to play at Stamford Bridge next season.

Aged 30 Ramos is now Madrid’s captain but faces the proposition of a move to England for probably the last time.

Madrid are third in La Liga and face the prospect of losing to Wolfsburg in the Champions League quarter finals – they’re 2-0 down after the first leg.

Leonardo Bonucci is though to be Conte’s no.1 target, however reports in Italy, from Corriere dello Sport, claim Ramos is also now on his radar.

A group of senior figures at Manchester United aren’t convinced Jose Mourinho is the right man for the club (Daily Star)

Erik Lamela looks set to sign a contract extension with Tottenham (Daily Star)

Chelsea are concerned about their goalkeeping situation as incoming head coach Antonio Conte attempts to shape his squad for next season (Daily Telegraph)

Jan Vertonghen has claimed that it is feasible for Tottenham Hotspur to join Manchester United among world football’s elite (Daily Telegraph)

West Ham United will attempt to replace Diafra Sakho if the striker forces his way out of Upton Park this summer, with Aston Villa’s leading scorer Jordan Ayew on a list of second-tier targets (Daily Telegraph)

Jose Mourinho remains confident he will replace Louis van Gaal at Old Trafford and wants to sign five new players for the club this summer (Daily Express)

Paris Saint-Germain captain Thiago Silva has warned team-mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 34, he would be taking a “step down” if he moves to the Premier League (Daily Mirror)

Manchester United are the only Premier League club to make an offer for Sweden’s Ibrahimovic, who is out of contract in the summer (L’Equipe)

Newcastle would have to pay their 24-year-old midfielder Jonjo Shelvey £80,000 a week in the Championship, as they did not agree a wage cut in the event of relegation (Daily Telegraph)

Jordon Ibe, 20, has fuelled speculation about his future at Liverpool by removing all references to the club from his Twitter profile (Independent)

Southampton manager Ronald Koeman is so concerned about his young players wearing headphones and using social media that he has held special training sessions to help them communicate with each other (The Times)

AC Milan have decided to sack their manager Sinisa Mihajlovic and replace him with former Milan midfielder Cristian Brocchi (Gazzetta dello Sport)